Saturday, February 11, 2012

If your dog has IBD please read this!!!!!!!!

I agree not a fun topic but I have a great deal of experience in the end processes of digestion and I want to share Aspen's miracle!!

I would say the first year of living with Aspen was pure hell.... I am in no way kidding!! We brought home a puppy that had sever chronic diarrhea. He was to the vet on a monthly basis and sometimes even a weekly basis. As of now Aspen has been seen by 5 different vets and one of them was even from the University of Minnesota. This all occurred in his first 12 months of life. We spent thousands of dollars on stool samples and exams and no one could help him!! I shed lots of tears .. I honestly didn't know what we were going to do and if he would ever get better. At our visits to the various vets it was suggested that he was allergic (Irritable bowel syndrome) and later in his life they felt it was because he was the nervous sort. I knew it was neither of these... he never had an issues around being nervous or eating. I could change his food and he would be fine, but out the blue for no reason he would again start to have issues. So while most if not all the vets I've encountered disagree with me, I feel it was the administration of dewormer that started this problem.

I know for sure Aspen was given too much wormer by his breeder. She gave him his vaccinations and wormer right before we left and she didn't weigh him on a scale. I remember her picking him up and saying "he's around 40lbs". We found out later that she was wrong, he was only 30lbs. This is where I think things started us off.

I was concerned balling hysterically by the next day because he was having bloody stools. We rushed him to the vet but they did not share my concern hysterics. They believed the wormer was safe and I was just to give him pumpkin, some rice or even better some prescription dog food. It didn't work not only was my puppy having the runs constantly. Throughout the next year he would have intermittent periods of maybe 3 or 4 days to a week where he wouldn't have diarrhea, but for the most part he consistently had trouble on a regular basis. He would have emergently relieve himself anywhere from every 30 minutes to a few hours.

At this point all the veterinarians we consulted believed he had IBD... He went from diamond dog food, to nurtro, to science diet (vet recommended), Innova, and wellness. Nothing seemed to agree with him and it was strongly suggested that he go on prescription dog food. Through the process of comparing brand and ingredients I felt that would have been a poor choice for Aspen (and I was right!!!). I fought with many of them saying that we were not going that rout. Those vets can be darn mean but I think they found I could be way meaner!! We hopped vets until I found someone that would work with me and not against me. YOUR VET NEEDS TO BE LIKE THIS!! NO EXCEPTIONS!! I

Besides the food switching here is the run down of what was done- we added Metronidazole- didn't work, we added fiber with dextrin- sorta worked but not really, we had done every blood panel known to man and still nothing came up abnormal. At this point (year old) we wanted something better, so off to the U of M we went. We needed an expert!! I kind of expected our visit to be this grandiose Mayo Clinic (Mayo clinic is a world renowned people hospital close to us) type of environment. I was sadly disappointed. I got a general vet and an intern. She wanted to put him on prescription dog food, but again I refused. She suggested doing an exploratory surgery (HELL NO!!) that may or may not give us results and likely would not change course of treatment?!?!? Finally we agreed on Fiber with pysillium and tylan an antibiotic. ***TMI coming up**** This did help and he wasn't just exploding everywhere all the time, but it was a jelly like consistency(so still not normal).

It wasn't until Aspen and I did a session with Anne Nichols that we started looking at nutrition again. Probably a 3-4 months later. Anne is a well known raw feeder and I expected her to want me to do the same but she didn't. Again we need to seek out people that want to work with us not against us and that is Anne to a T!! I never once felt judged by her in her training or nutrition suggestions. Her main suggestion was to pull Aspen off Tylan and see if he could do without it. Sure enough he did just fine.

He still had sort of strange bowel movements, but it remained manageable, which was a relief for us. Once P&G had taken over Innova I had started looking for alternatives and I wanted to know more about raw. I went to a class that talked a lot about feeding raw, but also about the better choices if you decided to feed dog food. I already had switched Aspen to grain free (taste of the wild) at the time, but I learned more about how rotation was important and how constantly feeding a dog one thing brings about a lot of these "allergies" and problems. In the wild dogs wouldn't eat the same thing day after day after day after day (you get the idea). I equated it to eating cereal... if you just ate one brand of cereal day after day after day you might not thrive as well either. All of this was wonderful information, but most importantly I learned about probiotics.

At my class they suggested finding a probio that had lots of different strains. It was then I found a Mercola the key to our problem. I watched a lot of their videos and I ordered a probiotic and a digestive enzyme and the rest is history. I gave this to him for a few months (i occasionally toss some in now) and he is fine!! 100% fine. Never has a problem fine!! This dog can eat anything and be fine. I can't believe how lucky I was to find this for him and what a difference it has made in his life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Mercola and all those people along the way that brought us to a cure for a dog that had been doomed with IBD!! I don't know if it will work for your dogs but please please try it!! Do it way before the prescription dog foods and the medications!! Then email me so I can have evidence that this works for others too :-)

I am proud to report Aspen has done wonderful on raw as well. I get him big tubes of whole ground meats, bones and organs at the butcher shop. Believe me I was worried about him not tolerating raw, but not once have we ever had a problem. I still do a rotation of dog food which includes Orijen, natures variety(instinct with no grains) and taste of the wild. We only supplement with bight eye herb (for his cataracts), occasional fish or cod oil (people caplets), and then the occasional probios and digestive enzymes. Variety is the key I've found. His coat is shinny and beautiful and he's doing great. If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask me I'm always up for emails!!

Tomorrow is bath day for Mr. Aspen so I'll post a bit on that :-) Thanks for reading!! I'll part by leaving a photo of baby Aspen!!! I have been starting to sort photos and I just want to scream when I see pictures of him as a puppy... Is he not the cutest puppy you have ever seen???? ;-) He was so sick, but gosh he was one cute little peanut (he now is a cute big peanut)!! I'll also share my favorite adult picture of him tomorrow... Taken by thee one and only Ray(this one is also taken by Ray)!!

The Mecola site is listed below check them out .... holistic is the way to go folks!!

75 comments:

Oh dear poor Aspen. I'm glad he's feeling better now and I'm glad he has a mummy that took the time to find out what was wrong with him and loved him all through it. My mummy had a similar problem with me, I can't eat any grains 'coz of something called gluten. It was only when mummy fed me raw I got better. She also gives me live yoghurt (yummy) and bones and we grow the veg so it's all organic. Mummy has just got an allotment so we can grow more veg 'coz I LOVE pumpkin and beetroot and she doesn't have the room at home to grow squashes. We still have blueberry bushes at home and I like to help myself. He he!

Definately spoilt. I had my bath on Saturday as I had a show on Sunday (didn't do well). I smell nice and clean, bit I still don't like having one. Mummy took me to a groomer once and they were horrible. It scared me so much that I don't like strangers anymore. As for the raw diet, I can now have the odd treat that isn't gluten free as my tummy is much better. I think this is all to do with the good food I now eat. I also don't need my anal glands squeezed any more (thank goodness for that). My fur is shinny and so soft. I recommend raw to all my dogie friends.

Hi Erika: I wanted to thank you SO much for posting this. I was thrilled to read your story and learn that there is hope! I too have a Bernese (only 10 months) who has had chronic diarrhea since I've had her. We too have been in that spiral of diarrhea, metronidazole, coming off the tablets, then back to diarrhea for months. I read your story and was able to connect with Anne Nichols, who has been tremendously helpful - what a gem. On her suggestion, I got Dusty some Fast Balance GI and stopped the metronidazole.... it was with some trepidation, but lo and behold -- after a couple of days, normal poops and Dusty is full of beans. First time in weeks. I am meeting with a holistic vet on Monday and hope to get Dusty on the right track with diet, etc. So thank you so much for this posting and for helping me connect with Anne.

Anne I Want to contact you because I have dame problem of IBD with my Staffie and I desesperate with this He already have IT cost he biopsy confirm us this. He know is eating Z/D hills (veterinary prescription). I need to know how to help Byron . I already try to contact MERCOLA I am hoping there answer. Can you please tell me The encymas name? And The proboithic too? I give Byron one proboithic purina brand. Call FORTIFLORA. Thankyou foor y our time. Hope your answer. Here you have my personal email . I would be grateful If you answer me.

Help! My little cocker is 5 years old is really sick and keeps losing weight on Metronidazole and his 4th day of z/d which he hates but the vet doesn't want me to feed him any other thing. He was eating Natures baland fish and sweet potatoes for a while and then had a relapse. every time I switch hes better for a while with the help of metronidzole? and then starts having a relapse. The other day he scared me because he got a hold of a carrot cake muffin and was really sick now his protien levels are really low and his white cell count is abnormal and they are trying to scare me into all these tests. I know i need a new vet. but I'm freaking out! i want him off Z/D ASAP it hasn't helped him off diahrrea. Please what should I do? I need an angel. Your post was very informatibe but where do I start? I just want my puppy better.

** Disclaimer: All of what I write is in my experience with Aspen. I am not a Vet, but I can tell you what I would try**

What is your dogs name? I know how scary this stuff can be, but just stay calm. How long has he had it? Is it chronic or acute? Aspen's blood panels always came back in the normal range so that is different situation.... what worked for Aspen might not work for your little guy, but I can maybe give you a starting point. Z/D is just for an IBD or is it a protein rich food? I wouldn't pull him off if there is a specific reason for it. Have they given you any diagnose or an idea of what they think might be going on?

Just remember when dealing with vets is that you need to advocate for your dog. Become educated and informed and make decisions for him not just because it's what the vet "wants" to do. Don't be afraid to switch!! Ask around to other people in your area. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. I've flat out told vets how it's going to be with me. I will not longer take this quick " i know" best crap and hand over your wallet. They need to explain ever little thing to me and give me options, so I can make what I feel is the best decision for my dog. Remember that you are the one that has to live with that decision not them.

As far as treatment I would start by adding some digestive enzymes and probiotics to whatever food you have him on. It won't hurt him. It just helps build up his digestive tract after having diarrhea. For us using fiber worked to pull Aspen off the Metro. It might be something to try... I recommend Mercola for the probios and digestive enzymes -http://healthypets.mercola.com I also think you would benefit from contacting my friend Anne Nichols- I have gotten several emails from people whom I have referred her to with very positive results. She has extensive experience in nutrition and is my go to person for Aspen. Here is her site: http://becomedogsavvy.com/phoneconsults.html & her email is wolffspirit@peoplepc.com If you have any other questions please email me. I have some good holistic books if you want to know more about that rout as well. I hope this helps and hugs to your puppy!! ~Erika & Aspen

His name is Chocolate. Thank you for the tip about the probiotics. I actually bought something at the pet food store it was a Natures' blend of prebiotics, probiotics and enzymes. I wanted to start him on it ASAP for some relief. I took him off the Z/D which is a hypoallergic food made from hydrolyzed chicken livers (hes allergic to chicken) and has a very low protien percentage. I put him on Instinct venison formula. Its very expensive but he seems to be okay with it today. I mixed in some sweet potatoes for the fiber and his poop is not as explosive now. My concern is still that its a weird color of light beige. Still he seems to be more spunky already feeling back to hisself somewhat. He was unable to jump on my bed for a few days and that really worried me. I have contacted Anne she is trying to help get me a good vet in my area. I want to do a consult with her to see what she thinks. Thanks for all your recommendations.

Omg! My dig was diagnosed with IBD but never had vomiting or diarrhea.She has lip smacking and constant licking.She had ultrasound and they told me that she has IBD and give me hydrolyzed food from Royal Canin after a week of meds.and that food she is still the same nothing changes.When I read your message I realized that propably is the food I'm feeding her soybean as an ingredient and chicken liver.She had months ago chicken liver and she was so sick.I have to immediately stop the food because she is not getting better and only destroying her stomach with the steroids.I'm so stupid how can I miss that liver o.godz! I'm so upset.

Omg! My dog was diagnosed with IBD but never had vomiting or diarrhea.She has lip smacking and constant licking,breathing heavy.She had ultrasound and they told me that she has IBD and give me hydrolyzed food from Royal Canin after a week of giving her med.and that food she is still the same nothing change. The night is awful because of her smacking.She is not absorbing vitamin B and probably protein as well.I read that soybean is really bad protein and I know she was very sick after chicken liver long time ago so I just found out that the Royal Canin has soybean and chicken liver.No wonder she is still sick.I'm so upset I spent thousand of dollars going from vet to vet but they have no idea what to do:( They only know how to take your money.Now we have to change the food AGAIN and that makes me so angry my poor dachshund is so skinny I can see bones only sticking out.So disappointed and frustrating no one knows how to heal the dog with IBD or making her better :(((

Wow, how much do we really need to teach our vets who have taken thousands of our dollars for a lazy guess. My baby had his anal glands removed for what I believe to be a skin allergy. The other pups don't want to talk to him because he has no scent, but left with a constant pain in the butt many years later and IBS! Spread the word. Sydney, Australia.

My dog (Millie) was diagnosed with eospinolitic IBD in December 2012 and was put on Purina HA (hyrolysed soy protein) diet for five weeks. Although she hates it with a passion, it has "calmed" her insides, we have now been permitted to introduce a "novel" raw protein - being venison (human grade, with no additives or preservatives). Millie has had no adverse reaction so far and absolutely loves it. We have also started slowly introducing Orijen 6 Fish and again, she absolutely loves it and has had no adverse reaction. We sprinkle Protexin (a multi strain live probiotic) on her food daily. So far, she is doing really well, and is a very happy little pup. Our aim is to remove "low quality" high grain processed pets foods and stick with a raw meat (being a novel protein ie: not beef, lamb or chicken as these are used predominantly in processed dog food and cause major intolerances) and Orijen diet. From all the information I've read, raw meat (human grade quality), multi strain probiotics, zero grain diets are vitally important in managing IBD. Orijen seems to be an exceptional food - especially the 6 Fish (for IBD sufferers). Have found a really good website that independently analyses dog food - address is: www.dogfoodanalysis.com. Check it out. And totally agree, you have to stand up to your vets and not let them bully you in to something that you don't feel right about.

Erika, Thanks so much for all the information! My 7 month old mixed breed (Molly) has been diagnosed with IBS. We have her on the vet Hills dog food. Right now her stools are formed. It took sometime to get her there though. All bloodwork came back fine, worm check, etc. I have been searching online to learn all that I can about IBS. I am going to try changing her dog food to a healthier one. Question, when you change dog foods I thought you are suppose to do it over time. If you change your dog food for Aspen so frequently, do you mix in 50/50 when you change over? I also went to Mercola and plan on ordering the probios and digestive enzymes to see if that helps my little girl as well. And you are right...Aspen is one cute peanut :) Beautiful doggie you have!!!

Hey there, thank you for sharing all this. My dog has a GI problem, the vet says it is more than likely IBD although our dog has never ever been sick, he does have all the poop problems and weight-loss problems etc though.We were given steroids and two antibiotics, Metro and amoxycare. My dog suddenly had very bad runs and I was worried so I gave him enzymes and B12 with intrinsic factor and he immediately had better poops, not firm but not runny at all. My vet said I didn't have to give the enzymes but I have to say that without them my dog would have died because he was passing so much fluid he lost 1 kilo in just four days. On the enzymes and B12 he put on 1 kilo in four days and continued to put on weight but after the initial burst of 2 kilo in just over a wk he slowed down a bit to a more natural pace.My dog's B12 was down to 150 when it shud be at least 600 and again the vet said we didn't really need the B12 with IF but we continued to give it because it helps with digestion, in fact without it a dog cannot absorb food properly. Right now my dog is going thru the purging process but afterwards I plan to use a probiotic and continue with B12 and the odd spoonful of enzymes if I think he's in need. I'm glad I'm not alone in seeing the benefits of enzymes while my dog is having such bad problems. Since the B12 and enzymes my dog has been so bright and alive so I have high hopes that we'll get this thing licked. thanks again for this post it really helps.

Hi my name is Mike. I came across your site searching about IBD in dogs. Me and my fiance Jordan have a lovely smart pitbull mocha. She is about 15 months old. She was very fine as a puppy and went to numerous puppy classes and behavior classes and is as smart as a whistle and obeys every and any command. Problems arrived with her shortly after she got spayed. We got her at about 8 weeks old and she was spayed at a little before 6 months old at a local holistic vet. It was very expensive there for that. But we wanted the best for her. Every few months she would have these attacks. Lathargy, high fever, vomit, bloody tarry black stool and lack of appetite. Her fevers get so high she has to go to the vet for iv to keep her alive. We have been through this numerous times with her. Many visits to expensive 24 hour animal hospitals and the vet I first spoke of. Finally we had enough and took her to a so called specialist at red bank in new Jersey. About 3 hours from us. She was there for almost a week while they kept her going and did tests. We spent over 3 grand there. No answers, litterly none... The paperwork states unconclusove as a diagnosis. Her next attack we took her to a different vet I grew up by. He was great and was the first vet who showed concern for mocha and not our wallet. He kept her alive and said maybe to go to a specialist for Exploratory surgery but we couldn't afford it. So he said he would. Opened up his schedule and did it while she was sick and there. He did many biopsys and tests and nothing came from it besides the fact that she has some sort of IBD. This was about 5 months ago. He put her on prednisone and she has been on 10mg of prednisone twice daily since. We tried to lower the dose a few months ago but she had another attack so back she went. It has now been almost 3 months since an attack which is great. But she is not herself. She doesn't like to walk as much or play as much or as hard as she used to. She whines all the time for us to feed her. It's like all she cares about is food. She also seems like she is losing hair and has not had her hair grow back from her surgery yet! She is not gaining weight that she lost before the surgery she was about 45 lbs and has been around 38 since and looks skinny. Not like your usual pitbull. I think it's the steroids. I feel like she needs different meds. I just ordered her Probiotics and digestive enzymes from Mercola and started her in them today with the vets blessings in hopes this will help her issues. We have an appointment with the vet in two weeks to discuss alternate medications. Since her surgery she has been eating iams digestive health kibble. Almost daily we give her a human b12 supplement, some sweet potatoes and sometimes some boiled chicken and rice. We have took her to a local animal healer who claims she speaks to dogs about 6 months ago and she said mocha just keeps saying she is hungry. I feel like a constant supply of Probiotics and enzymes would help her a lot and hope I am right. Do you have any advice for us? I am 27 and Jordan is 22 we have lived together for almost 3 years and we were saving for a house and we have spent our savings on mocha over the last year we have spent about 12,000 dollars on her vet visits and emergency visits and counting. Please help us. Any advice you have or know someone who may have a superior knowledge of anything like this please forward this to them.

Thank you so much for your time. I hope to hear from you. Mocha is our whole life and we love her with all our hearts.

Hello my name is Sue I live in Australia I rescued a English Staffy that has IBD my vet suggested putting Patch on the Prednisone Steroid & I wouldnt,, I was on that drug & it made me feels so sick, dizzy & thirsty always wanting water. I always was hungry too.Id just eat & 15mins later I felt so hungry. I stopped taken them You have to slowly stop them by reducing them.. I felt so much better when I stop taken them.. I have Lupus that why I was put on them.. Have you tried feeding her a Kibble that fills them up more & longer.. My boy is on the Eukanuba ''Intestinal' its a Low residue kibble that digest easly I feel like Im advertising the Eukanuba brand but I know it works as it helped my boy before he was put on the Eukanuba he was getting hot with diarrhea sometimes his diarrhea was just blood pouring out he sometimes licks his lips & licks & licks I was told thats when they feel sick.. His Diarrhea has stopped but he still licks his lips & wants his grass sometimes but hes heaps better since he's been on the Intestinal hes also on a powder probiotic called Protexin the orange & yellow label.. The steroids would be making her feel so unwell they help one thing but cause about 5 different other problems like I told my vet have you taken prednisone, she said no I said it makes you feel awful I wont put my boy on that. I wanted my boy to be drug free as I know how pills can make u feel yuk.. Just remember in the wild & the olden days we never took as many pills & in the wild the dogs dont have vets listen to what ur heart & brain is telling you. Good luck with Mocha, maybe try some Kangaroo meat its suppost to be very good low in fats & high in something Ive forgotten Ive read that much stuff I even dream about it all, its so sad to see ur dog sick it breaks my heart when my boy dosent want to play some days I pray to Arch Angel Micheal & Saint Francis he helps all the animals...

Before I start this reply just want to make sure it will post here as I can tell you my Shar Pei is experiencing the exact same issues and vet gave her the exact same treatment. If this post will actually work, sometimes I have had trouble with Blogger, and don't want to type this entire message to you without checking first.

Yay....this is an old post I am replying to, but you have the same problems I have. I have watched my Pei weight continue to drop in the last few months and with little help from my vet, (pills and more pills) my girl has continued to slowly lose weight. So I took the internet to see what has been the greatest help in what I now call a combination of IBS and malabsorption. This week, after a month of feeding her cooked chicken and sweet potatoes, giving her enzymes, tylan, Prednisolone (5mg) and upped to 10mg a day, vit e, hyvitaltiy, krill oil, msm, she was still not gaining weight. Oh, and I feed her 6 to 8 times a day, she eats smaller amounts but helps with her control her ravenous never ending appetite. It worries me so much I cannot feed her the right food to help her gain weight. I read that feeding her a raw food diet might help, and since when she as a puppy I raised her on raw diet, but a vet made me switch at about 2 years. She is now 4 years old and suffering with this new disease. What I am doing right now; tripe, raw food, raw goat milk, spirulina, enzymes, vit c, e, msm, hyvitality, krill oil and tylan. I hope we can find a way to get her weight back up. She is presently at 23 lbs and was a normal 36.

Hi there, I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix that was diagnosed with IBD in October of last year. I spent a little over a year trying to figure out his weight loss but nothing. Blood work, urine work, vet visit after vet visit and everything was coming back that he was super healthy. Finally one day he collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital. They thought it was organ failure in the shape he got there, but they did the blood work and the organs came back fine. Finally a simple X-Ray showed that he had a mass that was by his small intestine area. They did a biopsy on the mass and it turned out it was just an area of his stomach that was inflamed. They diagnosed him with IBD, he was put on the Hills ID Prescription dog food and so far that is the only thing that has worked for him. I had him on the raw diet when he collapsed, I tried every top grade dog food that you can only get at special places, not even Petsmart or one of the chains would carry it. I do not like that he is on the Hills dog food but since it is the only thing that got him back to his normal weight (70lbs, he had gone down to 45lbs) I am not sure what to do. I see that your dog is not gaining weight but if your concern is getting her weight back up, try the prescription food to at least get them absorbing the nutrients again, then continue to research an alternative. That is how I ended up on this blog, by researching another solution but now my dog is back to his normal weight so out of immediate danger. Having him collapse was a super scary experience that I do not want to go through again. :0( My email is stacey.sanchez1978@gmail.com in case anyone wants to keep in touch to discuss the disease.

I am happy to find this site. I don't feel so horribly alone. My Aus Labraddoole has been diagnosed with lymphangectasia and IBD. We are on Royal Canin LF and metrazonidale as well as mycophenalate. None of which have helped control the diarrhea. I started her on probiotics a few days ago as well. I understand trying to find a balance takes a long time. With these two diseases I am at a loss as to how to feed her and balance her at the same time. I truly need some help and hope someone out there can stear me in the right direction. I am not very confident in this vet that is a specialist in these intestinal diseases. I live here in Washnington State.

Have you tried the Eukanuba 'Intestinal' vet prescription, they garrentee that the dogs diarrhea will stop within 3days my boys stopped the next day they also sell one that is nilly the same ingredients called Eukanuba 'Sensitive Digestion' at the Pet stores.. I wish my vet put my boy on this one first instead of the Royal Canin & Science diet their fiber is too high.. You probably need a kibble that is under 2%Fiber & a low fat the Eukanuba is 1,7% fiber & the fat is only 10%.. Everyone say how healthy he's looking.. But his insides are healthy.. poor dogs it must be awful Ive thought of putting my boy to sleep a few times.. I hate seeing him suffer & not playing thats when i know he's unwell he doesn't play just sleeps...Good Luck, Oh another lean meat is Kangaroo meat its suppose to be very good for IBD but Im too scared to try it.. I dont want to upset his tummy.. Hes doing good just on the Eukanuba Intestinal at the moment, the vet said in 1 year we will try & intruduce a new food..

I would not put any pet on Royal Canin. That's what started the problem with the diarrhea in my dog. Right now I'm am trying the probiotics with 10-14 strains and a grain-free gluten free diet, fish/salmon. No chicken, beef, or starches (potatoe, etc) in the diet. Also low protein 25-26%. Low in fat. Hopefully this will help with my dog's problem. It's too early yet to tell.

I rescued a English Staffy 'Patch' about 11months ago & im goin thru the same as you did, I think when vets dont know whats wrong they say its I.B.D & Colitis. My boy was put on Z/D Science Diet that made it worst & gave him real bad wind pain. Then he was put on the Eukanuba Intestinal kibble,This has helped him, his poos are firm now but thats all hes allowed to eat & I feel so slack when he watches me eat & he cant have none as he'll get an upset tummy & be pooing all night.. My boy cant have too much Fiber or fat, do u know how hard it is to find a kibble that has less then 2% fiber & under 12% fat all I could find was Eukanuba vet prescription.. He is also on Protexin a powder probiotic. What probiotic did u use for Aspen?? Im in Australia so we have different brands here..My vet also said Kangaroo meat is very lean but with the IBD raw isn't reconmened cause of the bacteria in the meats...I just wish Patch could be like a normal dog & just eat anything.. All so when ever I worm him we are up all night as he gets the runs, Finally the vet gave him Milbemax this is suppost to be a milder all wormer, Milbemax was good we werent up all nite with the runs but the next 2 days he must of felt sick as he was liking his lips & eating grass..But if anyone needs a low fiber & fat kibble the Eukanuba does work to stop the runs its garenteed it will help ur dog in 2-3days..

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! Your link led me to the ONLY probiotic for dogs, unflavored. Specialist recommended one with artifical beef flavor, which was enough to set my dog into a yeast ear infection (more meds). I am very GRATEFUL FOR YOUR website! You are WONDERFUL! Happy--the Bassett Hound Woof!

I totally relate to the first year being HELL. I'm still researching IBD and raw feeding (how I stumbled on your site) but it literally took thousands of dollars of vet visits/contradicting opinions (usually their opinion vs mine) and lots of trial and error. Now our pooch is on a 50/50 prescription kibble (always soaked) and raw food (from pet store). And we finally found probiotics/digestive enzymes and an herbal supplement from the vet that don't make him sick. He's still on a low dose of prednisone but that's okay. WHATEVER WORKS. Ours didn't have the runs, he had vomitting. Still does on occasion but that's just part of his secondary problem, megaesophagus. Doesn't feel great to finally have found a solution??? And to not have to be constantly stocked on carpet cleaner???

Hi Stephanie, my dog was recently diagnosed with IBS and also has megaesophagus ( a mild case thankfully, but still adds to the IBS problem). We have the diarrhea under control now with the IBS, but he is vomiting almost every night for hours. He's so skinny and I'm just beyond upset because nothing is working and we've tried everything. He's been on royal canine for a while, but since he's vomiting so much we are trying a hypoallergenic venison. He's still vomiting. Can you tell me what prescription kibble you use and what you soak the kibble in? Also, I've read raw food shouldn't be given to dogs with mega E as they can aspirate the raw food. So you've had no issues with raw? Thank you!

A year ago, our 9 year old Portuguese Water Dog, was diagnosed with IBD by a vet who saved his life by putting him on an IV, anti-vomiting and diarrheal meds and the long-term key: HYDROLYZED PROTEIN FOOD (Purina). Diagnosis and disease management: Percy was evaluated several times and our vet thought he had kidney damage. A second vet, who is now our vet said no. Something was wrong, he had lost weight, wasn't himself, had trouble jumping on his ottoman (we thought is was arthritis); eventually, he became lethargic, licked his lips, lost his appetite and drooled. We work at home and are always around him or playing with him in the yard and never saw diarrhea. Still no diagnosis. One day, Percy wouldn't eat dinner and threw up three times. Note, graphic info: I took him outside with a flashlight and saw bright red blood and loose stools. We went right to the emergency vet. It quickly escalated to non-stop bloody vomiting and bloody diarrhea. He was stabilized overnight. Our new, vet took over, did tests and an exploratory surgery with biopsy which eventually confirmed IBD. A part of his colon looked infected. Percy was on IV, anti-diarrheal and vomiting meds (and antibiotics I think). He looked sickly, didn't lift his head and wasn't eating or drinking. God bless him, he did try wagging his Portie tail! He was literally near death. I stayed with him during the days at the vet's so he didn't have to be stressed in a cage near barking dogs and to monitor if he threw up or regurgitated. He responded to treatment (no steroids) and I think his system had a chance to heal. The vet let us bring him home Labor Day weekend on an IV since the vet practice had limited holiday coverage. I attribute his symptoms to his lamb and rice high-quality food or some other protein although the only people food he ate was: fish (water dog!), some fruit and veggies. In the past, he occasionally got into table scraps which made him throw up. He's been on Purina Hydolyzed Protein food for over a year now. He recovered totally within 9-10 days and is an energetic 10 year old! I am going to slowly introduce unique proteins like kangaroo as a treat because he seems hungry all the time and probably would like some variety to this dry rice-cake-like kibble. He does get chewy, dried sweet potatoes, etc. Can't recommend Dr. Fox enough; he is also knowledgeable about megasophogus which Percy doesn't have. If you live near Chicago, this is a great diagnostic practice: Elmwood Grove Animal Hospital. Dr. Fox. and Dr. Henengen.

I came across blog via Google, as my 12 year old male beagle is very sick with what the vets "think" is IBD, or possibly a bleeding ulcer or cancer. While all of his blood work / x-rays have come back PERFECT, he had been lethargic, vomiting, diarrhea, won't eat, low temperature... he was a very healthy dog, even at 12 years old, so much that we would call him Springy Dingy, because his energy and behavior was that of a young dog. Then within a blink of an eye he changed. I did my fair share of vet hopping last year when my other male beagle "supposedly" had nasal cancer, yet the vets could not give me a definitive answer without a MRI at the tune of $3000.00. and of course, we had no pet insurance. Regardless of the several thousands we already spent on him, the arrogance and lack of concern from so many vets is extremely disheartening. Last week I was so concerned about my baby boy "Bailey" that I stopped at the vets office to have a heart to heart with the vet and the vet was in surgery, so I was told that she would call me back before the end of the day. Well no phone call, so I went back to the vet office the next morning (ironically, the vet called as I was driving and I did not get the call until after I told her off). I felt bad, but I will say SHAME ON ANY VET WHO DOES NOT TAKE THEIR PATIENTS HEALTH SERIOUSLY). Bailey's condition has been going on for about 3 weeks now and I am exhausted, as he is a full time job. Just today I spoke with a childhood friend who is a vet tech (for 30 years now) back in the Midwest and gave me very similar advise to what you learned and did with Aspen... Raw food, probiotics... I understand the process of elimination theory, but really there are no guarantees, and while I will spend just about any amount of money on my baby, as most people will (providing they have the means to) there is simply no guarantee of a resolve / remedy and in the meantime these arrogant vets become wealthier and wealthier. I welcome any advise / input from you. Also, thank you for spending the time in creating this blog so that others can hopefully find some answers for their furry babies without having to go through losing them, or not ever really finding a remedy that works without pumping them full of toxic drugs (I am doing that as well). In fact the vet has him on meds to stop the vomiting and diarrhea, and now when he eats, I am having to force feed him, as he will not eat on his own, he drools terribly for up to an hour, so much that he loses a lot of fluids, his temperature goes down to about 98 degrees, so I have to inject fluids in him. It is such a mystery and mess. In any event, just yesterday I started him on a probiotic / enzyme supplement.

Last week we lost one of our Berners to IBD. Was a heart wrenching, two plus year journey through different medications & food all to no, eventual, avail. At some points we were winning but we’d eventually slide back again. It hurts so much to be unable to do anything for a pup that is so good, that you love so much.

Dear Erica,I have a dog 11 month old. He had at a age of 5 month very often diarrhea with little response on antibiotic therapy and dietary change, I think diarrhea just stopped. He ate hills zd dry but his coat was terrible , he sheds a lot. I start feed him Brit Care( we have it in Europe) lamb and rice.He did o.k. this food. He is always having soft stool but now he is having frequent and soft stool.He also experienced at age of 9 month very bad gastritis episode witch lasts 3 weeks, he had SIBO and vet cure him with metromidazolum. I now he is very sensitive dog and I should change a food but it is so frustrating to find a right food for him because nothing really works. I would like to enrich his food with some probiotics and enzimes until i hopefully find suitable food for him so please could you tell me which product do you use for Aspen, I would make an order but I want to be sure.

My German Shepherd Pup is now 14 months old and we have been fighting loose stools for his whole life. We have done stool samples very often and always with a lot of bad bacteria. He has been on antibiotics on and of for about 5 months of his life. He gets better but never gets rid of all of it and gets his diarrhea back after he is off the meds for a while and has to go back on meds. I have tried many different foods. I like Blue Buffalo and that's what he started his life with and during his life to try to cure him we have tried other brands. We have used Blue, Taste of the Wild, Wellness and now going back to Blue due to I like Blue and none of the others seam to make a difference. I also have had him on Vetri-Science Probiotics for about to months now. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Seacure is supposed to be awesome for dogs with IBD or IBS along with other things like liver and pancreas the list is large. Probiotics and also Digestive enzymes help replace bad bacteria with healthy bacteria. It doesn't happen over night. Also in my reading I read that all dogs on hard food usually at some point become nutrient deficient so vitamins once IBD OR IBS are under control should be introduced. Vitamin B also helps with energy. My girl isn't well she's losing quickly she poops large tan in color and is always soft serve. Until last couple months I had her under control. Now flagyl is best it's an antibiotic prednisone has many side affects and can be terrible mine was prediabetic from years of on and off use during flare ups.

Raw goats milk does wonders as a probiotic.ask your pet shop if they carry it and give them 2-4 oz a day while they are recovering.My puppy has IBD and all the medication she was on also killed her good stomach bacteria.I use goats milk and sometimes a probiotic in her food to restore her stomach flora.

My dog's name is Sparkie. He is a Corgie, Chihuahua, Pittie mix. He is 8 years old and I rescued him 3 years ago from death row. He had mucussy and bloody diarhrea with some vomitting, was also seen t the University of Minnesota as well as by other vets. Hope this info helps someone else.

My dog was diagnosed by endoscopy with IBD 3 years ago. We were given steroids initially while an immuno suppressant drug was also introduced. this is the same drug used for humans with crohns disease. People who have got no success in other ways should really investigate this drug. She also takes the Z/D and after a period of time I introduced other foods, rabbit, fish and now venison. I have also cut down the dosage of her drug and was doing well until recently. I fear she has developed allergy to the venison now. The trouble is that when the gut is inflamed and raw it leaks the food into the blood stream causing allergy to that food. I have learnt that stress also causes flare ups too. I don't like the hydrolized special diet food, its like feeding a destroyed food and I wonder about its effects long term on her general health. There are different types of IBD and I guess that is why all dogs respond to different treatments, my dogs IBD was caused by giardia. It digs deep into the linings of the small intestine and causes a leaky gut. You can clear up the giardia but the IBD remains. People should be very wary of letting their dogs drink from lakes and rivers.

Hi Erika, thank you so much for this post! It gives me some renewed hope. Could you please tell us more specifically what you did to get Aspen into such great shape? How much of the probiotic and digestive enzyme did you give him for the first few months? How many times a day and was it with meals or was the enzyme between meals as they say on the mercola site? Also, you mention sometimes giving him some probios and enzymes once he was fine...how do you know that needs more, or what makes you give him some? Thanks so much. I am going to order both products, but just want to know how/how much/ when to give them to my puppy!

Another quick question: you also mentioned that initally you didn't feed him raw. What did did you feed him during that time that you gave him the digestive enzymes and probiotics? And at what point did you switch him to raw? Thanks again!

I found a grain freed food. I like this site for looking up kibble/canned http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com. I've never totally switched him to raw he gets some of both. I usually try to stick to an entire day raw or entire day kibble just because they digest differently. I also like rotate dog foods.

My heart goes out to you and Aspen! Thank you for posting this. I have a12 year old Shih Tzu who was diagnosed with IBD when he was 4 years old. Prior to that, we had pretty much the same experience as you -- lots of trips to the vet for regular and bloody diarrhea, lots of vets wanting to worm him, lots of antibiotics that made things worse. Or vets who just poo-pooed it and said he was picking up stuff and eating it on our walks (like as though I wouldn't notice. Yeah!)

When my boy started crying at the idea of trying to go upstairs, I knew something had to be done. I took him to the vet teaching hospital at Ames, IA where they did an endoscopy and a colonscopy. Luckily, his IBD is mild, but it really gets him down when he has a flare-up.

I'm beginning to believe that most general vets don't have a clue as to how to deal with a dog with IBD. Now that Kop's getting older, they're all wanting to test for Cushings when he has his yearly bout with diarrhea. That's a bit of a brutal test and so I've resisted. Reading your article has strengthened my resolve. Before finding it, I decided to research IBD a bit more and find out if it can cause elevate WBC. From everything I've read, I have to say that it still sounds to me more like he's having a flare about once a year, not Cushings, not cancer, not any of the dozens of other things they want to test him for. Wish I could find a good IBD vet in the Kansas City area. Take care, and thanks for your article.

An update on Kop -- a few months ago, I took him to the vet because one of his ears was troubling him. The vet took him in the back room as usual and while there, in addition to extracting a 1/4" ball of ear wax that was resting on his ear, the vet decided to drain a fluid-filled cyst on Kop's neck that had been there for years and which we had previously decided to leave alone. Over the next few days, the cyst became infected and it was discovered that he had a MRSA staph infection.(Interestingly, the vet said I had probably caused this because I had an operation two years before and was hospitalized for a week.) Predictably, the antibiotic they prescribed upset his stomach terribly and he stopped eating. Because it was critical that he take that medicine, the vet told me to leave him with them so they could administer the medicine. Two days later, they asked me to take him home over night to get him to eat. I was shocked when I picked him up. It was clear that he wasn't going to make it at the rate he was going. Furthermore, the vet had decided that since my boy was having such a bad reaction to this medication, they were going to switch him over to an even stronger antibiotic the next day, setting the stage for this bacteria to become resistant to the first drug and an even longer course of treatment which I doubted he would survive. I took him to the vet ER where the specialist took him off all antibiotics and prednisone and started using a strong, medicated ointment prescribed by one of the skin specialists. I'm happy to say that it worked, but unfortunately, my boy was greatly traumasized by this experience. He had lost a lot of weight and still wasn't eating right. The specialist suggested that I take him to a holistic vet who practiced both western and alternative medicine. That was the best thing I've ever done. After looking at him and reviewing his history, this vet decided to put him on a Chinese herbal mix that would calm inflammation. He also put him and my other dogs on a probiotic that would help all of them have better stools and appetites. I started seeing a difference in a couple of days. Kop's appetite returned, his coat started looking wonderful, and he even started running and playing--something he hadn't done for years. Oh, and the vet ER confirmed my suspicions that many general practice vets don't know what to do with an IBD dog. Their specialists and the holistic vet see a lot of them because traditional meds simply don't work well for many dogs with this condition. My advice is for anyone with a dog that has IBD to try to find a holistic vet in their area, especially one who uses Chinese herbs. I wish I'd done this earlier.

My Golden Retriever Kolsch was biopsied and diagnosed with ibd. After many cans/bag of Hill's I.D. he simply wasn't having it anymore, did I mention it's 97.00 for a 37.5 lb bag? His vet then put him on Purina's EN (enteric) diet. It goes for 39.00 for a 32 lb bag. No prednisone so far, I sure hope this new food works!

Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I have two pugs. The adopted one, Gus, (age 81/2) came to me at age 2 loaded with yeast infections. Tests showed he had severe allergies to fish, rice and beets, with sensitivities to about 10-12 other foods. Eventually he ended up on a raw diet--blend of Primal, and inspected raw meet (goat, duck, lamb,rabbit) from a butcher, supplemented with fresh fruit and veggies. Over time, his coat turned glossy, and there were no more yeast infections. Worked wonders.

Jazz, my older pug, went on raw just because it had worked so well for Gus. A year into the raw diet, she developed chronic diarrhea. As is so typical, vets ordered blood cultures, x-rays, ultrasounds,etc. She was tested for Addison's, which was negative. Heart, lungs, liver and kidney tests were normal. She also had what I tho't was a seizure, but turned out to be Old Dog Vestibular Disease (inflammation in peripheral nerves of inner ear--balance problem), which resolved in 48 hours. She could no longer eat raw food, sadly enough. It resulted in explosive, watery, frequent diarrhea. Just couldn't digest it. Ultrasound showed thickened colon, and now they think it's IBD. She's on that crappy Hill's w/d, with corn starch as the first ingredient, and soybean oil, as well as hydrolyzed protein. Horrible ingredients. At last she's eating, but still has "pureed" looking stools. She had lost 1/3 her body weight, so I was at least glad she started eating again. She's 12 and a pug, so I refused to put her through surgery and anesthesia for a colon biopsy. Next step is a steroid trial, unfortunately.

Now I suspect she is developing degenerative myelopathy, as her Aunt Molly (my first pug) had, and I see the signs in her hind legs becoming very wobbly. She is also sometimes dragging one hind foot. I'm very sad about all this. I'm also mad that the vet hospital felt all these very expensive tests were necessary, but still never came up with a definitive diagnosis for what was causing the diarrhea. Seems to be a common experience from what I've read here.

I still believe in a raw diet, but it turned out not to be so good for her. Gus also got parasites, coccidia, probably from eating cross contaminated (with rabbit poop) raw rabbit. No more rabbit, sadly enough, from that butcher.

So, while I still think raw is right, I have found that you probably need to be cautious. I supplement with Primal, since they have raw meat, plus organs and bones, as well as a short list of fruit and veggies. And the raw meat they have is actually the one meat as labeled (while Nature's Instinct has pork in its food labeled as rabbit; the designated meat on their labels is almost always only part of the type of meat included in the bag-very misleading), with few other ingredients that might cause allergy flare ups.

Our 5 month old basset hound has been raw fed all his life, since being weaned. He eats all raw, no cooked food. And he was also given bones.

Recently he became very ill. Vomiting, diarrhea....then he'd be okay again. Then more vomiting and diarrhea. We took him to the vet twice. He was given something to stop vomiting and Canikur. Canikur is a paste in a tube which helps to bind the stomach a bit...

After about two weeks of this on-off illness and health cycle, we went back to the vets, and we were not going to leave until they did some kind of investigation. Luckily they wanted to admit him anyway.

Xrays showed gas build-up in the bowel, and a thickened area. Palpation of that area caused him pain. His blood results showed extremely high white blood cell counts.

They opened him up, and found that the ileum was thickened. They've taken biopsies from the intestines. The gas was released.

So, what are our options seeing as he was raw fed from birth? My suspicion is that vaccines have caused some kind of adverse immune reaction, seeing as he was extremely crabby, irritable and had loose bowel movements for a few days after each round of vaccines.

But still, we want to focus on solutions. Vets want to use steroids. He's been fed boiled rice and chicken since being ill, and will be fed the same when he comes home. What then? We can't blame processed foods, and we can't change or switch to raw, when we were raw already!

My Chocolate lab Shelby is three years old. She has had diarrhea for 3 months straight, on and off with explosive. I was reading your article and it made me have hope. She has lost a lot of weight and I have gone to 2 different vets, She is currently being seen at University of Florida, where they have diagnosed her with IBD, She has been on the same meds as your dog. They now have her on an injectable steroid that am giving her daily for a week, her protein levels have been very low and WBC very high. She has been on 2 different antibiotic. they said that she no longer has an infection so they took her off. Is there any way you can guide me. when you say raw, you mean no cooked food at all. Are you concern with ecoli?

Anyone reading this page will see many of us do things differently. What works for one dog may not for another and each vet has different ideas how to deal with it. One thing I think many of us can agree on is vets often don't know much about IBD. I am lucky my vet has researched it and with his help have been able to keep Ernie stable.There has been a few scares when he has eaten meat so ended up a week at the vets. The first 3 years Ernie was on a low dose steroid. Not whated but it kept him stable and that is my main aim.He is also on Imuran. We weaned him off Pred as he had bad joints and we needed to address that. It has been difficult keeping him stable since and have to be very careful he only eats his Royal Canin. For us this food works. When he was on the prednisone he could have a little red apple carrot and bread. Anything else he flares up Raw is the worst thing for him. I fed him that before diagnoses. I live in New Zealand and don't have the choice of foods available in the USA. Royal Canin is $195.00 for a 14 kilo bag.

So here's my problem. My boxer Petie is 8 yrs old and was recently diagnosed with IBD back in July. He has been on pred, two antibiotics, vitamin b12 shots and I have recently added the probiotic and enzyme. We have tried two holistic kibble foods and they didn't seem to work. He has been eating cooked chicken and pumpkin and that doesn't work. I have slowly been adding raw meet to the cooked chicken and that hasn't helped at all. I have no idea where to go from here. And I truly don't think the vet knows either. I have read that a high quality canned food is best, but whats considered high quality? And some of the ones I was looking at and the amount he would need to eat for his size we'd be spending 600.00 a month on his food alone. I have no idea where to go from here. The poor dog has had the runs since July and always seems hungry to the point of counter surfing much more than he every has and taking food (gently) from the baby. Please someone give me some ideas on what I can try next because I have no clue!!!!

My Aussie has had frequent bouts of bloody diarrhea for 6 yrs. We have been to vet after vet after vet. No firm diagnosis. One vet said "This is just how your dog is...you will just have to treat symptomatically and get through the episodes. Now she is having chronic, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Again, 3 vets later, she is progressively going downhill. We have done Metro, Tylan, pred, probiotics, enzymes, etc. EVERYTHING. I feel like I am just watching her die and no one can help.

Thanks for sharing your story. I learned a lot when my young dog was diagnosed w/ stage 4 Lymphoma out of the blue. Thus, I understand the hurdles of finding the right vet, being blown off by allopathic vets & the process of homeopathy. I studied nutrition night & day. Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond. I had no idea, but saw you fed Diamond and later Taste of the Wild.

I'm now working with a dog with pre-IBD. She vomits from any dog food, fatty meat or too much fiber. The vet advised calming her digestive track before looking at a raw diet. He knows I cooked cancer free for Buddy and integrated raw so it was not a shock. However, now I am on ground turkey, I drain the fat & add coconut oil, turmeric & cinnamon. This is mixed with mushy organic brown rice. She gets some sweet potato. Each day she has a fish oil capsule with me. At night she gets two (2) tablespoons of organic full fat Greek yogurt with Rxbiotic & Rxzyme. She can't handle bone meal.

I would like to reduce the rice heavily & find something aside from ground turkey per your cereal analogy and to assure a wider range of nutrients. She does not tolerate pork, beef or chicken. She will eat blueberries, baby tomatos, organic raw pumpkin seeds,fresh cut carrot (in moderation as it really deworms naturally w/ some nutritional value before it becomes undigestible turning into a bad sugar).

Any suggestions on things to try that help add weight & have nutritional value??? Thank you.

Thank you for sharing! I too have a Bernese Mtn Dog named Mal'akhi. He turned 2 in December and since he was a pup, we also have struggled with direahea, horrible direahea!! It seems like we get him well and then boom, he gets sick again. His mom and dad are both over 100 lbs and he is still just 84, because he stays sick and can't gain weight. He has been tested for Giardia, salmonella, worms, etc to the tune of thousands of dollars in medical bills. He recently was diagnosed with IBD and they want to put him on Metrozile? antibiotic also. I have had him on every supplement and probiotic, even put him on VSL#3, which my daughter used for her ulcerative colitis. It helps, but nothing makes him well. I had him on Orijin dog food, but that made him sick. Now he is on Acana duck and pear, but not tolerating that either. He is eating chicken and rice and not straining as bad, but able to hold it down easier. Our last Bernie had a beef allergy and suffered from direahea early on also, so I've always kept him off beef. I am like you, in tears and afraid he's going to die from this and the vets are just saying, it's this or it's that, don't worry. It's so frustrating. I have even tried doggie accupunture to no avail. Please help! First Choice Naturals supplements were working for a while, but not any more. I just want my baby boy to be ok. Thanks in advance.

I'm so sorry to hear about Mal'akhi's problems. Like your boy, my KopKar (a Shih Tzu) struggled with bouts of diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and poor appetite for years until he was diagnosed with IBD. Even with that diagnosis and being put on a prescription dogfood (Hills D/D), there still would be problems whenever he was given antibiotics for something. Some, like metronitizal, he could tolerate. Others, like amoxicillen, would upset his stomach so bad he would stop eating. Vet after vet said there was no relation between the medicine and his stomach getting upset. In fact, many were convinced that this indicated he had a much more serious condition, such as cancer or Cushings.

You can read our story above, but after years of fighting with vets over this, I finally learned that I was right -- most general practice vets don't know what to do for this. Even more importantly, I learned that there is hope! After a particularly bad experience that I'm sure he wouldn't have survived if I'd continued on the route the vet was going, I took my boy to a holistic vet who practices both western and alternative medicine. After looking him over, he told me that according to Chinese medicine, my dog is suffering from problems with heat and damp and put him on an herbal mix that the Chinese say reduce the heat from inflammation and other stuff I can't remember. What I do know is that there's been a dramatic difference in my boy's health. In addition to having a better appetite, his coat looks wonderful again and he feels so good that he is running and playing--something he hasn't done for years. My advice is to try to find a holistic vet. The herbs are expensive, but to keep it in perspective, they are a lot less expensive than running up huge vet bills because what western medicine wants to use doesn't work! Good luck!

Try white rice over cooked and blue or white fish in big quantity or turkey and potato, don't add any fat to the diet. Our vet gaveto our dog also tylosin antibiotic that makes him very hungry and solve dhiarrea problems:-)

Hello.My 2 year flatcoated retriever was diagnosed with IBD May 2016.He was perfectly fine and I could switch food brands and flavors without a problem. I think his initial IBD was caused by some cheese..a large amount he managed to get into. So far we have tried 4 vet px diets..from the hydrolyzed soy protein to the anallergenic chicken 'feathers' kibble. The only thing he has been able to keep down is boiled ground beef, cooked sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin and cooked oatemeal.He is currently on Florentino probiotic, tylosin, omeprazole and just yesterday he started on prednisone as he started to reject the cooked beef.I have heard that slippery Elm can help as it lines the GI tract. I haven't tried it yet.I also read that raw can be beneficial and I'm currently in the process of getting an email together to send to local producers ..I want to know their knowledge of ibd before I buy their product.I'd too like to try an holistic vet and a nutritionalist. I'd not give rice to a dog with ibd. .it can cause gas build up..use sweet potatoes instead

Hello.My 2 year flatcoated retriever was diagnosed with IBD May 2016.He was perfectly fine and I could switch food brands and flavors without a problem. I think his initial IBD was caused by some cheese..a large amount he managed to get into. So far we have tried 4 vet px diets..from the hydrolyzed soy protein to the anallergenic chicken 'feathers' kibble. The only thing he has been able to keep down is boiled ground beef, cooked sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin and cooked oatemeal.He is currently on Florentino probiotic, tylosin, omeprazole and just yesterday he started on prednisone as he started to reject the cooked beef.I have heard that slippery Elm can help as it lines the GI tract. I haven't tried it yet.I also read that raw can be beneficial and I'm currently in the process of getting an email together to send to local producers ..I want to know their knowledge of ibd before I buy their product.I'd too like to try an holistic vet and a nutritionalist. I'd not give rice to a dog with ibd. .it can cause gas build up..use sweet potatoes instead

i just had my yorkie poo 1 yr ( stray) he had terrible GI issues.I did put him on variety of foods,he stabilized on some mixed meat,potatoe( yam).he had vomit issues 3 months usually. morn. then it went away. i am now on yr 4 and he got bad case of vomit ( bile) and lethargic,so had full workup labs,xray,he showed IBD ( chronic) white count bit high( not infection yet) they rehydrated,gave him pain med shot,flagyl( antibiotic)* I am HIGHLY against antibiotics..buti let him get 1 shot. now i feel i will do my probiotic,and alter and rest his tummy. i am going to put him on kibble only ( synergy) to just let things rest,get poop on schedule.any advice on antibiotics? i read the side effects..AWFUL..

Hi Erika, my pup Huey is 2 now and is on and off with blood in his stool. No diarrhea and everything poops fine til the very end. We've done so much for him and I just want to get rid of this blood that he sometimes has. I looked up Mercola and wanted to see if you can give me the exact probiotics and enzymes that Aspen takes. I want to give that a try and let me know if they can be taken together.

I just came across your post and I feel a bit of relief. I have had golden retrievers as siblings all my life, and now that i'm grown up and out of my parents house, I of course needed a golden retriever of my own for a new best friend. We went to a breeder to pick up our golden retriever puppy (they weren't high quality breeders, but once I met her I couldn't leave her there in those conditions) and they let her go at like 6 weeks 5 days and she came home covered in fleas. They had never taken her to a vet and dewormed her themselves, but we made sure to get her the care she needed. She was healthy, eating her dog food, and going to the bathroom perfectly normal. Fast forward to her being around 2-3 months old and getting her rabies shot, which is where all the problems started. She got the shot in the morning before we went to work and when we got home from work we came home to a mess. Her cage was COVERED in diarrhea and vomit and she wouldn't stop even when I got her outside. We rushed her to the vet and they first took it for an allergic reaction, but now 10 months later we still don't really have answers. We have tried countless different dog foods, countless different pills, we have tried extra heart guard booster shots incase of parasites, so many stool samples I can't even remember, prescription diets, different vets, x-rays, a biopsy, a specialty vet from internal medicine, and probably numerous other tests that I'm not remembering right now, and their best guess is that she has IBD just from ruling everything else out. They are going with the assumption that she has IBD even though they still continually say they've never seen a dog even close to her age with IBD. We have her on metronidazole every day which keeps her from uncontrollable diarrhea, but she still has trouble and we just don't know what to do. We have spent thousands of dollars on tests and care for her and she still barely eats and we had a very scary episode recently where she threw up a significant amount of blood and then had blood in her stool for the whole following day. We rushed her to the ER but they couldn't find anything and chalked it up to IBD and upped her daily metronidazole. I'm just not sure what to do to get her to eat consistently, other than the not eating, and the random episodes she's a happy, playful, energetic now 1 year old, but she is like my child and I worry a lot about her. It would be so nice to find a solution. I have read through a lot of the comments, so if anyone has any insight, help would be appreciated. I do plan to look into all the suggestions above. Thanks! Email: stephaniestringos@gmail.com

About Me

Hi I'm Erika. I am a Bernese Mountain dog enthusiast. I have had the privilege of having three special Bernese Mountain Dogs in my life Aspen, Mysti, and Sophie. Mysti has passed but is not forgotten. We currently share our home with Aspen (5) and Sophie (5months).